Intentional Pre-Membership Assimilation in Mid-Sized Congregations in the Midst of a Declining Church

Abstract

You have pounded the streets. You have practiced good friendship evangelism. Your hard work is beginning to bear fruit. The people you invited to come to worship at your congregation are there! Now what? How can a congregation do everything possible to not lose/scare away this new worship visitor? How can it do everything possible to make sure to give that person a real, lasting connection to the means of grace? These are questions which are even more pressing in a culture where more and more people are leaving the Christian Church in America. These are also all questions which can be answered when a congregation has an intentional assimilation program. This paper will specifically take an in-depth look at mid-sized congregations in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and pre-membership assimilation methods which hold promise for them.